Remembering the Young Avengers' Hilarious Scrapped Kang Battle

Ever wonder what wild ideas Marvel had for the original Avengers: The Kang Dynasty? Turns out, our new generation of heroes almost got a hilariously awkward first win!

TL;DR: Quick Takes on the Scrapped Kang Dynasty Plot

• Original Avengers: The Kang Dynasty writers Michael Waldron and Jeff Loveness pitched a scene where the Young Avengers would defeat a "first-day" Kang variant.
• This inexperienced Kang would carry a hilarious "Be Patient with him, it was his first day" card, deflating the Young Avengers' triumphant mood.
• Marvel pivoted from Kang to Doctor Doom, with Robert Downey Jr. confirmed for the role in Avengers: Doomsday (Dec 18, 2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (Dec 17, 2027), after Jonathan Majors' legal issues and creative re-evaluation.

Alright, Marvel fans, buckle up because we've got a fascinating peek behind the curtain of what could have been! Before all the big changes, the MCU was building up Kang the Conqueror as the next Thanos-level threat, and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was going to be the centerpiece. But as we all know, plans change—sometimes dramatically. Now, we're getting some juicy details from the original writers themselves about one utterly wild, and frankly hilarious, idea they had for the Young Avengers.

Unveiling a Humorous Encounter with an Inexperienced Kang Variant

Imagine this: the Young Avengers, who we've been seeing slowly assemble across various MCU projects (think Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, and more!), finally get their big moment. They face off against a Kang variant, fight hard, and against all odds, they win! They're stoked, celebrating their first major victory as a team. Sounds epic, right?

Well, turns out, it would have come with a seriously deflating, but incredibly funny, twist. Michael Waldron, the genius behind Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, recently shared a pitch he and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness came up with for the scrapped Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

“Jeff Loveness and I spent an afternoon pitching on the Young Avengers defeating a version of Kang and being so stoked about it… only to discover that that particular Kang carried a little card that said to Be Patient with him, it was his first day as a Kang. And then they were so bummed. I think he was gonna be the Lizard Kang from the end of Kang Dynasty? I don’t know. Anyway we had fun.”

— Michael Waldron, Writer for Loki and Avengers: Doomsday (via Reddit AMA)

How fantastic is that? A Kang who's essentially on his first day on the job, still figuring out his whole "multiversal conqueror" schtick. Waldron even speculated this could have been the "Lizard Kang" variant, which eagle-eyed fans might remember from the Council of Kangs teased in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

The MCU's Big Pivot: From Kang to Doctor Doom's Reign

This quirky pitch offers a tantalizing glimpse into the humor and unexpected turns Avengers: The Kang Dynasty might have delivered. However, as we now know, the entire Kang-centric storyline for the next Avengers Movies was completely re-evaluated. This major shift followed a series of events, most notably actor Jonathan Majors' conviction for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and his subsequent firing by Marvel in December 2023.

But here's a crucial detail that Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios chief, clarified: the pivot wasn't solely due to Majors' legal troubles. Speaking in July 2024, Feige revealed that discussions to move away from Kang had already begun even before the public fallout. Why? Because Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which heavily featured Kang, didn't quite hit the mark, and creatively, Marvel felt Kang wasn't "big enough" to be the next Thanos-level villain. They needed someone with decades of comic book gravitas, someone who could truly carry the weight of an entire saga.

Robert Downey Jr. Returns to the MCU as the Fearsome Doctor Doom

Enter Doctor Doom. Feige admitted that talks with none other than Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., to play Doctor Doom had already started before Quantumania even hit theaters. This was a long-term strategic move, taking advantage of the Fox acquisition (which brought the Fantastic Four, and by extension, Doom, into Marvel's hands) and aiming to pair one of their greatest characters with one of their greatest actors. What a mind-blowing reveal for fans!

The new plans were officially unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024:

• The film formerly known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is now Avengers: Doomsday.
• Robert Downey Jr. is confirmed to play Doctor Doom, the new main antagonist.
• Joe and Anthony Russo (the masterminds behind Infinity War and Endgame) are returning to direct both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

What This Means for the Young Avengers and the MCU's Future

While that hilarious "first day" Kang gag won't make it into Doomsday, the idea of the Young Avengers being a key part of the larger Avengers narrative is still very much alive. The MCU has done a fantastic job of introducing and developing characters who fit perfectly into a Young Avengers lineup:

• Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani)
• Kate Bishop / Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld)
• Cassie Lang / Stature (Kathryn Newton)
• Monica Rambeau / Photon (Teyonah Parris)
• Yelena Belova / Black Widow (Florence Pugh)
• Riri Williams / Ironheart (Dominique Thorne)
• America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez)
• Billy Maximoff / Wiccan (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy Maximoff / Speed (Jett Klyne)

The finale of The Marvels even saw Kamala Khan actively recruiting Kate Bishop, teasing the team's formation. While the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement hasn't explicitly named any Young Avengers members, it's highly probable that this new generation of heroes will play a significant role in the overarching Multiverse Saga, especially as the MCU looks to its future beyond the original Avengers. Whether they get their own standalone project or are integrated into bigger team-up films remains a question, but their presence is definitely building.

Michael Waldron, who worked on Kang Dynasty and is now a co-writer on Doomsday, clearly had plans for them, and it's not unreasonable to assume that some general "bullet points" from the original Kang saga might carry over into the Doom storyline, just with a different villain driving the conflict. We might not see an "inexperienced" Kang, but the Young Avengers' journey to becoming a formidable team is just beginning.

Frequently Asked Questions About the MCU's Next Big Films

What happened to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty? The film was scrapped and retooled into Avengers: Doomsday. This decision was influenced by actor Jonathan Majors' legal troubles and firing, coupled with Marvel's creative re-evaluation that Kang wasn't the right "big bad" after Thanos. They decided to pivot to Doctor Doom. Will the Young Avengers still appear in the MCU? While the specific "first-day Kang" fight is out, Marvel has been consistently building towards a Young Avengers team. Characters like Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, and Cassie Lang have been introduced, and their team-up is expected, likely in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, if not a dedicated project. Who is Doctor Doom in the new Avengers movies? Marvel Studios has officially announced that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the MCU to play Doctor Doom, the new main villain for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This move was planned even before the changes to the Kang storyline. When are Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars coming out? Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars is currently scheduled for December 17, 2027.